


A Decade and a Day

by FairyRingsandWings



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark, Dysfunctional Relationships, Exiled Jude, F/M, Grown up Oak, Multiple character pov, Queen of nothing spoilers, Revenge, takes place after the wicked king
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 17:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18348551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyRingsandWings/pseuds/FairyRingsandWings
Summary: Ten long years have passed since Jude was exiled from Elfhame, leaving behind a wicked king to rule with no strings attached.





	A Decade and a Day

"Are you sure this is what you want, Oak?"

He gave no answer to his sister, only nodded, his eyes set on the path that would lead to Elfhame. It was a place he had not set foot on in ten years, not since his sisters had whisked him away to the mortal world, safe from the influence of his foster father and those who would seek to use or subdue him.

It had not been a peaceful life as his sister's had hoped, but it was more peaceful than anything the world of faerie had to offer - and for that, he would always be grateful. They had lived in reasonable comfort, never starving but seldom did they have the money to indulge themselves in any luxuries. Their homes were scarcely furnished and they owned very little - it was a necessity, as at any time they might be found and needed to move at a moments notice (the less they owned the less they had to weigh them down). 

They had lived in all manners of homes. Cramped apartments tucked away in the centre of sprawling metropolises, tiny cottages hidden away in the countryside, dingy hotels in the middle of lonely towns and for a short time a camper van that Jude had procured through questionable means. It had been difficult at times, moving from place to place, never being able to make permanent connections with the people, homes or lands they stayed in. 

Sometimes it had made him resentful. Always on the move, always on the run, never able to make any friends with danger falling him as true as his shadow. 

Then he would remember the nights when the High King's creatures had found them and then suddenly moving was all he wanted to do (on the move he wasn't a target, staying still he was a sitting duck). 

Memories of those times were dark and sketchy. He could only remember the rush of terror and panic, the feeling of Vivi snatching him into her arms or pulling his hand as she scurried him off to safety. Jude always remained behind. He never saw what she did to those creatures who had hunted them down, only heard the screech of metal and flesh. Sometimes he feared that Jude would not find where he and Vivi had hidden away from the monsters that chased them, but she always found her way back to them, her sword soaked in blood and bruises blossoming across her skin. 

"Are you sure this is what _you_ want, Jude?" Oak asked, turning to his sister.

Jude sat upon a white horse, its reigns held tightly in her hands. Hidden under her jade cloak, Oak could not see the light padded armour she wore, nor her faithful sword that she always had close to hand. Her auburn hair spilt in waves behind her back, fluttering softly with every whisper the wind breathed. 

"I've been ready for this for years, Oak."

A stronger wind brushed by them, picking up the autumn leaves and stirring them in the air. Becoming restless, Oak's horse neighed and kicked at the dirt, trying to turn away from the path ahead - even it sensed the danger that lay in wait. Oak petted his grey stallion, shushing it reassuringly. He looked up at his sister, watching as her narrowed eyes scanned the forests, always alert, always watchful. All these years she had kept him safe with her keen gaze and sharp mind. 

"If I said I didn't want the crown... if I said I want to stay here, in the mortal world and continue to pretend to be a normal human... would you let me?" 

"Of course, Oak," Jude replied, startled. "If you don't want to do this then you don't have to. No one can force you to take the crown."

"Well that's not quite true, is it?" Oak said, a slyness to his voice. "Kingmaker."

Jude looked away guilty and shook her head. "We all make mistakes - as Madoc constantly likes to remind me."

Although their foster father knewnot where they stayed, Oriana did. Madoc passed his wife messages, mainly for Jude, asking her to cease her running and bring him and Vivi home. _I am your father and you are my children, blood or not. Family must always stick together. Come back and let us fight as one._ He had never given up on Jude returning to his side as his dutiful daughter - he hadn't given up on any of them coming back. Growing up, Oak had always known when it was Madoc's men who found them - less wounds marred Jude's skin and less blood dripped from her weapons. 

"I never should have made Cardan king but I didn't know..." Jude trailed off with a desolate sigh. "At the time I felt it was the only choice I had."

"Do you think he'll abdicate willingly?" Oak asked, long hair as bright as sunlight spilling across his face as he tilted his head. 

"No... I don't." Jude nudged her horse into a light trot and Oak followed, staying close beside her. "He never wanted to rule - never thought he would rule being the youngest of all his siblings. He seldom took an interest in his duties, preferred to drink himself into a stupor, rile me up, cause me trouble and enjoy the company of other faeries in his bed. It wasn't really until after I had come back from my imprisonment from The Undersea that I saw signs of that changing. The circumstances had forced him to take charge, to take an interest in being king. I think he slowly began to acquire a taste for it."

"I suppose if he wanted to abdicate he wouldn't be sending those creatures after us."

Jude nodded, absentmindedly rubbing the tip of her ring finger.

"Does he want me dead?" Oak asked. "I know blood ties shouldn't matter, that it's not that which makes someone your family. I know he doesn't know me either. But Cardan is still my uncle. He's the only blood relative I have. I'm the only relative he has left. Would he really kill me?"

"The one line Cardan would never cross was murder," Jude replied quietly. "That was the one thing that he would not do."

"And yet?" 

"It is impossible to be king and not shed blood at some point."

What the High King wanted with him, they didn't know. All they knew was that the creatures he sent were willing to use brutal force. Jude reasoned that Cardan wanted Oak under his control, to prevent Madoc or anyone else using him to claim the throne. Oak was the key to the crown... and so was Jude, but in all these years no one could bring themselves to believe her claims the day she had been exiled. After all, how could a lowly human be Queen of Elfhame? How could a king, known for his distaste of humans, dare make her his wife? As far as everyone with a thirst for the throne was concerned the king's former adviser had finally had her wings clipped, claws broken and usefulness disposed of. Oak on the other hand...

"You never answered my first question," Oak said, catching her eye. "Is this the path you want to take? Do you want to put me on the throne, to give me the crown of Elfhame? It would mean giving up your title as Queen. I know you haven't been able to use any of that power or enjoy the perks that come with it but it's still a lot to give up. It's the most powerful position there is." 

"Is it really? I am Queen of Nothing, Oak," Jude laughed bitterly. "I had fought so hard to acquire power, so no one could ever hurt me or my loved ones again. I thought being Queen would assure me of that. But what does being the Queen matter if no one believes you are the Queen? I'm Queen... and I'm powerless. Cardan's perfect revenge."

Jude sighed, a wistful smile on her face. "Besides, the only reason for me being queen or even putting Cardan on the throne was to keep it warm for you."

"If I gave up on my desire to be king would you still seek revenge on Cardan?" 

"Yes," Jude replied without hesitation. "I'd just go a different way about it."

Oak nodded, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. His sister had never given up on her revenge and he could not fathom her ever doing so. Exiled in the human world, with faerie creatures haunting down the heir to the Elfhame crown, Jude had no way of striking back against the High King. For the past ten years, she devoted herself to her siblings, teaching her brother sword fighting, slyfooting, the tools of a spy's trade and all she had learned from her brief time as the king's puppet wielder. He knew she was unsettled here in the mortal world, her entire being yearning to return to the world of magic she had grown up in. She felt out of place like a piece to the wrong puzzle trying to fit in where it did not belong. 

"When I take the crown, by ease or by force, I promise you sister, that I will never let you be powerless again."

Jude looked to her brother with a smile that did not meet her eyes. 

Brother, he may be, but that did not mean she trusted him. Not even after she had practically raised him. How could she? She had been betrayed time and time again by those closest to her. Taryn, Locke, Madoc, Cardan... all people she had trusted and cared for, all people who had rammed a knife or two in her back. He could not blame her for her lack of faith. Even if he was a faerie and could not lie Jude was all too aware of how good his kind was at bending the truth, twisting their promises and vows to suit their own needs. Nothing, not even the soundest of oaths, could be truly trusted. 

_I will not betray you, Jude. I am not like our sister or our father. I am not Locke or Cardan. I am good - just as you and Vivi have taught me. I swear it._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this...


End file.
